This invention relates to the field of books, and more particularly to an interactive three-dimensional book.
Today""s electronic multimedia educational tools are both informative and entertaining at the same time. These new devices and methods capture and hold attention with three-dimensional graphics, video, and audio however they require extensive support equipment to view. Conventional books fall short by comparison. The traditional prior art has countered this trend in several ways. Three-dimensional printed and stamped graphics have been included in books. Various toys and objects have been removably enclosed in cavities within the books. Some examples of three-dimensional books in the prior art are seen in the following U.S. patents:
Wolski, U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,963, discloses a combination book and three-dimensional sculpture.
Vap, U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,729, shows a book having an integrally formed shell in the shape of an object. The shape of the object corresponds to the text of the book. The shells are adapted to receive one or more removable parts.
Hilko, U.S. Pat. No. 5,951,358, discloses a combination toy vehicle having an internal book. Opening the toy vehicle reveals the internal book.
Grosz, U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,295, reveals an anatomical model having front and rear flaps and separate templates providing educational information.
While the prior art devices are instructive, none of them are truly user-interactive. Accordingly, there is a need to provide an educational book tool that will give the user a total learning experience, is interactive, will display a realistic 3-D view of the subject matter, without having loose parts that may become lost, while it is simple and rugged for long life.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a three-dimensional interactive book, comprising a front cover having an outer surface and an opposite inner surface. The front cover has a three-dimensionally contoured element. The book includes a rear cover having an outer surface and an opposite inner surface. A wheelfold is provided, having a wheel rotatably mounted between opposite front and rear panels. The front and rear panels each have an outer edge, and the panels are connected together along the outer edge. The wheel has a periphery, and a plurality of primary pictorial elements. The wheelfold has a window in one of the panels, and one of the primary pictorial elements is visible through the window. The wheelfold is sandwiched between the front and rear covers. Binding means is provided for binding the front cover, the rear cover, and the wheelfold together. The contoured element includes a convex surface adjacent the front cover outer surface and a concave surface adjacent the front cover inner surface, and illustrations on both the convex and concave surfaces. The wheelfold further comprises a notch in the outer edge of the front and rear panels, and serrations on the wheel periphery, the serrations being exposed along the notch. A secondary pictorial element on one of the panels is juxtaposed with the window. Thus, upon manually rotating the wheel by the serrations, the primary pictorial elements will be selectively aligned with the secondary pictorial element through the window. Selected surfaces, elements, and panels have text written thereon.